Evernew hydration bladder

[Brett .]

Bottom line up front, my Evernew bladder failed after about 10 uses.

The Evernew water bladders are similar in form to the Platypus bladders. They have been offered for years here in Japan, and are coming to market soon in the US. The ergonomic advantage of the platypus is that the cap is secured to the bottle with a short leash, as you would see on a Nalgene bottle.

I choose the .9 liter model, and used it about 10 times on day hikes. Before each hike, I fill all my bladders and bottles and do a hand-held squeeze test, to test for leaks. During my most recent test, the bladder burst open where the bottle joins the cap spout. The burst area was about 2cm in width, and would have resulted in a major spill inside my pack had the pressure been applied at that time.

I have had two Playtups bladders fail at this same area, where the bladder joins the spout. It seems to be the weak point in the manufacturing process. I should note that the Platypus failures were immediately upon opening the package and 'Acceptance Testing' the new bladder. Thus it could be returned for a new one. Those Platypus' which passed AT have never subsequently failed. In fact, every Platypus which has passed AT can tolerate me actually standing on the full bladder without leaking a drop. The Evernew failed due to a durability issue, not initial quality, which is much worse in my mind.

After three bladder failures, I always carry one hard water-container such as a PET (soda type) bottle, or Nalgene. And I would not buy an Evernew bladder again.

They were discussed here:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/02739.html

[Jeff Antig]

Since this product was manufactured in Japan, there are Japanese instructions printed on the bladder. Many people cannot read the Japanese on the bladder which would have prevented all these leaks. They should at least have English on the other side or something. It simply says:

"When opening and closing the cap, please hold the neck of the bottle where the dot is"

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